What I Don’t Like About You

iPhone 3G: battery life. OMG I’ve never had a phone with such a pathetic battery. It’s totally farcical, makes the thing almost freaking unusable for me.

Fujistu Laptop: too heavy to carry to Boracay, but here it is. Was toying with an impulse purchase of an $800 NetBook on Tuesday, but couldn’t decide between the Lenovo and the HP (No1 Son’s choice).

Boracay: the development. It goes right to the white sandy beach, as far as the eye can see (not so far late at night). The touts are not as aggressive as Phuket or Kuta, but fuck off with those glorious photos of lonely beach idylls. This is a densely packed beach-suburbia for paying tourists. Next time, going to the undeveloped northern beaches of Phuket.

Boracay: getting here. Abbreviated details – Flight was a code-share, which I didn’t realize, therefore after landing at Manila T1, I was advised to go to T2 for my connection to Caticaln, an airport on the neighbouring island to Boracay, close to the ferry terminal. Txt buddies already on Boracay: “ETA about 5:30.” Drag bags to shuttle bus, get on, get off, “NO! Over there” shouts securtiy satrap, directing me and bags to the Domestic terminal. They refuse to accept me. “Muss go Terminal 3 for Philippine Airlines flight that only have two digits.” Drag bags back to shuttle bus area. Secrurity satrap says, “Bus only come 45 mins, you muss taxi!” Drag bags to taxi chaos. Single queue, long line, plenty of taxis but it takes 8 yellow-shirted assistants 3-5 minutes to get a person into a taxi with the right number of tips and paperwork. After 35mins, am nearly at the front of the queue when along come Shuttle Bus to its pick-up point. Drag bags back to Shuttle bus, abuse driver for giving me wrong info before. Get to T3. Drag bags inside, looking for Philippine Airlines. Not here. Ah, code share! But code-share flight with PAL-Express has been cancelled due to problem with plane, as has next flight. Must go to T2. There is shuttle bus outside. Please drag your bags over there now, sir. Flight is nearly empty despite having two loads of PAL-express passengers. Maybe trouble with plane was that it was too empty to make the trip worthwhile for the airline. This flight goes to the other airport, in Kalibo, on the far end of the neighbouring island to Boracay. Must drag bags out of airport, following similar shuffled and shuttled passengers ex-PALExpress, and take bus, 90mins, watching horrendous movie (I Spy) all the way. Must drag bags, buy Terminal Fee, Envrinomental Fee, Ferry tickets, take narrow dangerous boat to Ferry on far side of Boracay. Must drag bags aand take motor-tricycle across hills to street near Boat-Station 3 where hotel is and where boats don’t come. Must drag bags and take pedal-powered tricycle to hotel. Hotel is not “ON” the beach as advertised. Time 8:30. Txt buddies: “Where the fuck are you, I need a beer…!”

Hotel Room: nowhere near beach. No water pressure for shower. No bath. Otherwise great, spacious, huge patio, near pool. Free WiFi. Up promptly, hungover as all fuck, at 10:30. Breakfast is at restaurant not in hotel area, 5 minutes walk away, on main beach, round corner, but finish at 10, sir.

OK, one week to destress about the stress of getting here.

Also, going back on Cymbalta as feet/toes are increasingly playing up again. I’m not going to like that either.

Dude: I’m going to suss out the possibility of returning it and getting something else. My drawers are already cluttered to bursting with use-by-date-excedeed phones, mp3 players and/or other gadgets. I can’t configure my work email either (on a bws.signet server) so it’s also useless in that essential function.I don’t think the sound output is as good as the old 2G iPhone either, but that could be trouble I’ve been having with ear-phones lately.

O, the pain of having a good time; is it worth it.Happy Easter man. I hope you get a lot of eggs on Sunday morning, and maybe even a decent Nokia phone. (I have a Sony Ericsson C905 myself, a nice little thing)

Oops, thought you knew Boracay was pretty much tourist beach hotel sprawl. Figured you were there for the nightlife. If I’d known you wanted uninhabited I’d have suggested Palawan. Or Negros. There’s a new resort on Negros that looks pretty snazzy but I’ll have to check on the name since I can’t remember it.

DH: next novel?MM: yes, being grumpy nakes me happy. On a desert isle with crystal waters and balmy breezes, I’ll still get a sand rash on my quoit.Jay: yes, Palawan was the first choice, but HongkieTown raved about the place. And, you know, I had to do Boracay sometime in my life. Scott: haven’t found a place that takes the < HREF="http://www.expat-at-large.com/pm/comments.php?id=17_0_1_0_C" REL="nofollow">Charisma Card<> yet.(That post was written about a trip to Makati in Manila.)